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Downdraughts in chimneys can be caused by trees that are higher than the chimney close by.

Venting a chimney from the inside or outside depends on the situation, and neither is perfect for every situation. Venting from the outside can cause cold spots on the inside wall which will attract condensation. Venting from the inside can take damp air from the room into the flue. A chimney...

I've built fireplaces like that with a pre-cast lintel with integral throat and gather. There should be a dovetail brick that goes back in the opening. As noseall said in his more technical explanation, the fireback should be non structural to anything. A bit like this, but with a dovetail...

Normally better to get a reduction than get a seller to do the work, as they are more likely to bodge it. As Ivor says, it's a relatively small job for a bricklayer. You can normally leave the window in and just remove the brickwork above and fit something like a Catnic L10.

Is it for you or a customer? If it's for you, you will probably have a bit more time to try some different mixes. The sand is important to the colour. If you put a piece of the existing mortar in brick acid, it will leave you with a sample of the sand. As mortar ages, it often changes colour...

Wide strip foundations normally need reinforcement to be really effective. The weight of a wall is transferred down from it's edge at around 45° downwards, so even when made a lot wider it can still crack from that point.

I'd guess he was talking about corbelling the chimney breast. Back in the 70's and 80's it was quite a common way to do the job. However, nowadays it's more usual to support them with steels.

It depends on the type of bricks used. A really dense brick like an Accrington Nori would hardly absorb any moisture. Also, moisture evaporates from brickwork as it rises, so in many cases it won't go far. Strong cement mortars also are virtually impervious. There used to be issues with a few...

I've never really seen the point of that photo by Peter Ward, as much as a photo of a damp interior wall doesn't prove rising damp does exist. There was some work done by Ralph Burkinshaw, who is quite well respected in the trade. He managed to get the damp to rise about 8 courses, although he...

All the HETAS fitters I know will always fit a liner. Although technically they don't have to, it means being certain the flue in in good condition. Doing a sealed smoke test would mean that the regs used to allow for a certain amount of smoke to escape, but the amount was left to the skill of...

You need to get a lintel installed.

Where's your post before my last one gone ree?

In my early 20's I worked in the USA for a few years. In California it's not the best place for brickwork, so occasionally I did work with other trades. Back then the chippies were not using T&G for roofs or walls, so unless the framers allowed for 1/8inch gap it meant taking 3/8inch off every...

Although technically it's correct to leave a 2mm gap, it's already down now. Most chippies don't bother when doing floors, as provided the ply is acclimatised and well fixed the amount of expansion is relatively small. It's obviously a bit quicker to just butt joint it. In the USA when doing...

Depends what the bricks below DPC are.

When you repoint it remember that the mortar needs to be weaker then the bricks, as it's a sacrificial part of the wall.

It's ground salts that break down cement mortar. When they get to the surface and crystallize. It's the same with brickwork on the seafront where the salt air affects the joints.

A mate of mine has used them on some of his houses. He buys old run down Victorian properties and does the work and rents them out. He's been in the trade since leaving school as a thatcher, so is used to old properties. Even back in the 90's, he was advising people to use lime render, lime...

You need to be careful with predictive text.

You need to get those spuds earthed up.